Library apparatus for duplicating disks and then sorting them to easily distinguish defective disks from normally copied disks

Abstract

A first determination unit determines whether or not the number of storage racks which stores each of a plurality of disks into which informations stored in one copying source disk are copied exceeds the number of the plurality of disks. A copying unit copies the informations stored in the copying source disk into each of the disks in order and determines whether or not a copying process is normal, when it is determined that the number of the storage racks exceeds the number of the plurality of disks. A storage control unit controls the disks so as to store the disks from one edge side of the storage rack in order when the copying process is normal, and controls the disks so as to store the disks from other edge side of the storage racks in order when the copying process is not normal. In another embodiment, duplication ceases when the number of copied disks totals one less than the number of storage racks. The extra storage rack visually denotes the dividing point between normally copied disks and defective disks.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A library apparatus for copying information from a copying source disk to a plurality of disks, said library apparatus, comprising: a plurality of storage racks for storing a plurality of disks into which information stored on said copying source disk may be copied;   first determination means for determining whether or not the number of storage racks exceeds the number of disks;   copying means for copying the information stored in said copying source disk into each of the disks in order and for determining whether or not a copying process is normal, said copying means operating after it is determined by said first determination means that the number of storage racks exceeds the number of disks;   an accessor for transferring the disks from said copying means to one of said storage racks; and   storage control means for controlling the movement of said accessor so as to store the disks on one side of the storage racks in order when the copying process performed by said copying means is normal, and for controlling the movement of said accessor so as to store the disks on another side of the storage racks in order when the copying process is not normal.   
     
     
       2. A library apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of storage racks is one more than the number of the disks.   
     
     
       3. A library apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: drive means for driving each of the disks, the copying source disks and said copying means; and   disk moving means for moving each of the disks in order to said drive means when each of the disks is copied, and for moving each of the disks to the edge appropriate side of the storage racks as directed by a control signal indicating either normality or abnormality of the copying process, after said control signal is outputted from said storage control means after each of the disks has been copied.   
     
     
       4. A library apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage control means controls the disks so as to take out a disk from said one side of the storage racks as the next disk to be copied and processed when the copying process is normal, and controls the disks so as to take out disk from said another side of the storage racks as the next disk to be copied when the copying process is not normal.   
     
     
       5. A library apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: counting means for counting a total number of copied disks and the number of error disks in which the copying processes are not normal;   second determination means for determining whether or not the number of error disks counted by said counting means has exceeded a predetermined number; and   alarm means for sounding an alarm when the number of error disks has exceeded the predetermined number.   
     
     
       6. A library apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined number of error disks is half of the total number of copied disks.   
     
     
       7. A library apparatus according to claim 1, further including: display means for displaying on a screen the number of error disks in which the copying process is not normal.   
     
     
       8. A library apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said display means displays on the screen a plurality of storage rack positions corresponding to the number of storage racks, and after copying has been completed, said display means also displays a vacant storage rack indicator in one of said storage rack positions corresponding to a vacant storage rack such that the storage rack positions on one side of said vacant storage rack indicator represent the normal disks and the storage rack positions on the other side of said vacant storage rack indicator represent the error disks.   
     
     
       9. A library apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage control means controls the disks so as to store the disks in a predetermined position of the storage racks when the copying process is normal, and controls the disks so as to store the disks in a position that is linearly shifted from the predetermined position when the copying process is not normal.   
     
     
       10. A method for using a library apparatus with a plurality of storage racks for copying information from a copying source disk to a plurality of disks, said method comprising: determination step for determining whether or not the number of storage racks exceeds the number of disks into which information stored in the copying source disk are to be copied;   copying step for copying the information stored in the copying source disk into each of the disks in order and determining whether or not the copying process is normal, said copying step being performed after it has been determined that the number of storage racks exceeds the number of disks; and   storage control step for controlling the disks so as to store the disks from one side of the storage racks in order when the copying process is normal, and for controlling the disks so as to store the disks from another side of the storage racks in order when the copying process is not normal.   
     
     
       11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the number of storage racks is one more than the number of disks.   
     
     
       12. A method according to claim 10, further comprising: a drive step for driving each of the disks, the copying source disks and a copying unit by a drive unit; and   a disk moving step for moving each of the disks to said drive unit in order when each of the disks is copied, and moving each of the disks to the appropriate side of the storage racks as directed by the control signal indicating either normality or abnormality of the copying process, which is determined after each of the disks has been copied.   
     
     
       13. A method according to claim 10, wherein said storage control step controls the disks so as to take out the disks from said one side of the storage racks as a next disk to be copied and processed when the copying process is normal, and controls the disks so as to take out the disks from said another side of the storage racks as a next disk to be copied when the copying process is not normal.   
     
     
       14. A method according to claim 10, further comprising: a counting step for counting a total number of copied disks and the number of error disks in which the copying process is not normal;   a determination step for determining whether or not the number of counted error disks has exceeded a predetermined number; and   an alarm step for sounding an alarm when the number of error disks has exceeded a predetermined number.   
     
     
       15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the predetermined number of error disks is half of the total number of the copied disks.   
     
     
       16. A method according to claim 10, further including: a display step for displaying on a screen the number of error disks in which the copying process is not normal.   
     
     
       17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said display step displays on the screen a plurality of storage rack positions corresponding to the number of storage racks, and after the copying step has been completed, said display step also displays a vacant storage rack indicator in one of said storage rack positions corresponding to a vacant storage rack such that the storage rack positions on one side of said vacant storage rack indicator represent the normal disks and the storage rack positions on the other side of said vacant storage rack indicator represent the error disks.   
     
     
       18. A method according to claim 10, wherein said storage control step controls the disks so as to store the disks in a predetermined position of the storage racks when the copying process is normal, and controls the disks so as to store the disks in a position that is linearly shifted from the predetermined position of the storage racks when the copying process is not normal.   
     
     
       19. A method for producing a duplicated disk, comprising the steps of: providing a library apparatus including a plurality of storage cells, each of said cells for storing a recordable medium, a reproducing unit which reproduces master information stored in a master disk, a writing unit which writes said master information into said recordable medium, and an accessor which moves said recordable medium between said storage cells and said writing unit;   inserting said master disk into said reproduction unit;   a first transfer step in which said accessor transfers one of said recordable mediums to said reproducing unit;   a duplicating step in which said master information is duplicated onto one of said recordable mediums by said reproducing unit;   a second transfer step in which said accessor transfers the recordable medium upon which said master information has been recorded from said reproducing unit to a vacant cell in said library apparatus, and   controlling, by a controller, the accessor and the reproducing unit such that said first transfer step, said duplicating step, and said second transfer step are repeated until the number of recordable mediums containing said master information reaches a preselected number, wherein said preselected number is one less than the number of cells.   
     
     
       20. A library apparatus for copying information from a copying source disk to a plurality of recordable mediums, said library apparatus comprising: a plurality of cells in a cell unit provided in a housing of said library apparatus, each of said cells being capable of holding one of said recordable mediums therein;   a copying unit provided within said housing, said copying unit for reproducing master information from said copying source disk and for recording said master information onto each of the recordable mediums;   a transfer mechanism provided within said housing, said transfer mechanism for transferring the recordable medium to said copying unit, where said master information is recorded thereon, and then for transferring the recordable medium to a vacant one of said cells in said cell unit; and   a controller for controlling a transfer process whereby said transferring mechanism and said copying unit are controlled such that each of the recordable mediums is transferred, one by one, from said cell unit to said copying unit, whereupon said master information is recorded on the recordable medium, whereby the recordable medium is then transferred to a vacant cell in said cell unit, and where said transfer process is repeated until the number of recordable mediums transferred reaches a preselected number, wherein said preselected number is one less than the number of cells.   
     
     
       21. A library apparatus according to claim 20 wherein, said copying unit is also configured and arranged for determining if a copy of said master information on a recordable medium is normal or not normal; and   said controller is also configured and arranged for controlling said transfer process such that a recordable medium designated as normal is transferred to one side of said cell unit and a recordable medium designated as not normal is transferred to another side of said cell unit, whereby upon completion of said transfer process, recordable mediums designated as normal will be separated from recordable mediums designated as not normal by a vacant cell.   
     
     
       22. A library apparatus according to claim 21 further comprising a display means for displaying on a screen the number of recordable mediums designated as not normal. 
     
     
       23. A library apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said display means displays a plurality of cell positions corresponding to the number of cells in said cell unit, and after the transfer process has been completed, said display means also displays a vacant cell indicator in one of said cell positions corresponding to a vacant cell such that the cell positions on one side of said vacant cell indicator represent the recordable mediums designated as normal and the cell positions on another side of said vacant cell indicator represent the recordable mediums designated as not normal.   
     
     
       24. A library apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said copying unit includes a reproducing device for reproducing said master information and a recording device which is operatively connected to said reproducing device, said recording device for recording the reproduced master information onto said recordable mediums.